Awake, for morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts the stars to flight.

And, lo, has caught the sultan’s turret in a noose of light!

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable: Christopher Howse: ‘A Pilgrim in Spain’

Cosas de España

Fascinating Spain gives us here a comprehensive guide to the the best expat communities in Spain. As regards Madrid, I question whether there are ‘ample job opportunities’ beyond teaching English in any barrio. Unless you’re a digital nomad, I guess.

The estimable Max Abroad writes here about some of Spain’s 1,000+ islands. Some readers will recall perhaps the most (in)famous – Perejil. I note that Max doesn’t seem to have visited Galicia’s beautiful Atlantic Isles.

The Guardian highlights here the plight of some of Madrid’s many trees, under the aegis of the city’s right-wing, business-friendly presidenta.

The UK

A comment on one of life’s challenges in Britain. At least if you don’t want to make your dentist very rich. Ans can find an NHS dentist willing to take you on. . .

I wonder if dentists still have one of the highest suicide rates in the UK.

Quote of the Day

Pick-up trucks are the number one vehicle in the USA, I believe. I thought of this when reading this comment from P. J. O’Rourke of 1984, 40 years ago: Everyone in America has always wanted to be a redneck. And the single most prominent distinguishing feature of a redneck is that he drives a pickup truck. This explains why all of us are muscling these things around downtown Minneapolis and Cincinnati. Plus ça change?

The Way of the World

The Times shows us here one way of making millions in The Internet Age. Billions, even. Possibly on the back of minimal talent. When volume is, perhaps, much easier to generate than value. Wish I could do it.

The USA

A rapidly growing trope/meme? From a Times columnist: When is someone going to admit that Joe Biden is screwing things up? How, in a democratic society, have we ended up with a version of democracy that doesn’t feel like it at all? Look at our own decision [in the UK], also to be made later this year: boring banker v boring lawyer. It’s no decision at all. Putin would probably agree, seeing no difference between Russia and the 2 Anglo ‘democracies’. Very possibly some folk on the Very Far Left, too.

English

What’s the difference between a trope and a meme? If you really want to know, see the 2 AI search results at the end of this post.

Did you know? . . .

Don Quijote, it says here in Eye on Spain. is often hailed as the first modern novel and as a groundbreaking work of Western literature. I confess that years ago I made the mistake of reading this (long) book in bed and falling asleep over it every night. Which left me wondering whether it wasn’t a tad boring. This was almost uncertainly unfair and one day I will read it again and come to a more objective opinion. Perhaps during the next few months while in the UK. Not that looking after my grandchildren leaves me much time for other . . . pleasures.

Finally . . .

I took my younger daughter to Mass this morning,, though I stayed behind the glass screen at the back, while she sat in a pew. On leaving, I saw this leaflet and picked up a copy, as maybe ‘it’s never too late’ and I might some day want to move on from the life of a trainee dilettante.

And, if I can’t make it to full dilettante status, why not become a priest? Their lives seem pretty cushy. And involve quite a lot of wine.

The Usual Links . . .

You can get my posts by email as soon as they’re published. With the added bonus that they’ll contain the typos I’ll discover later. I believe there’s a box for this at the bottom of each post. I guess it’s logical that this doesn’t appear on the version given to me . . .

For new readers:– If you’ve landed here looking for info on Galicia or Pontevedra, try here. If you’re passing through Pontevedra on the Camino, you’ll find a guide to the city there – updated a bit in early July 2023.

For those thinking of moving to Spain:- This is an extremely comprehensive and accurate guide to the challenge, written by a Brit who lives in both the North and the South and who’s very involved in helping Camino walkers.

The difference between a trope and a meme

Bard/ (now ‘Gemini’): While both tropes and memes involve recurring and recognizable elements, they differ in several key ways:

Origin:

• Tropes: Pre-date the internet and have existed for centuries in storytelling, literature, and art. They are recurring themes, motifs, or devices used by creators to convey ideas or emotions.
• Memes: Are a digital, internet-driven phenomenon. They typically emerge online and spread rapidly through sharing and imitation.

Purpose:

• Tropes: Serve more complex functions. They can help build narratives, develop characters, evoke emotions, and create shared cultural understanding.
• Memes: Often have a primarily humorous or entertainment purpose. They can also be used to express opinions, criticize, or satirize current events.

Format

• Tropes: More abstract and conceptual. They don’t have a specific format and can manifest in various ways within any medium.
• Memes: Can be images, videos, text, or even soundbites. They often include recognizable formats and are easily replicable and remixable.

Longevity:

• Tropes: Can endure for centuries and exist across different cultures and mediums.
• Memes: Often have a shorter lifespan, trending quickly and fading away faster.

Examples:

• Trope: The “rags to riches” story, the “damsel in distress,” the “hero’s journey.”
• Meme: Distracted Boyfriend, Woman Yelling at a Cat, Drakeposting[???].

Overlap:

In some cases, a trope can become a meme through specific online iterations. For instance, the “hero’s journey” trope might be turned into a meme format depicting different characters on their individual journeys.

Remember: This is a simplified explanation, and both concepts are nuanced and can sometimes overlap. It all depends on how they are used and understood in specific contexts.

Rather more succinctly . . .

Perplexity: A “meme” is a cultural element, such as an image, video, or phrase, that is passed from person to person and often evolves or changes over time. On the other hand, a “trope” is a figurative or metaphorical device often used in literature, film, or other forms of artistic expression to convey a concept or idea. Tropes are traditional shorthand that content creators use and that the audience has been trained to recognize. In summary, while a meme is a cultural element, a trope is a literary or artistic device. The two terms refer to different concepts and are not interchangeable